7 Tips for Easy Back to School Mornings!

I remember the days when my husband worked night shift and after teaching all day, I had the second shift at home alone.  Those were some of the most stressful times in my life. There were mornings where kids didn't know what clothes to put on, socks couldn't be found, homework also was lost, and I was saying to myself, "Where are the car keys?!" Murphy's Law was in full effect!  And when a morning starts out like this, tempers flare and can seriously affect the mood you are in when you arrive to school or work.  I utilized a few strategies to help avoid morning meltdowns for me and the girls and although the girls are in college now, I still have a fourth grader so I use these strategies up to this day.

Here are my tips!

1) All stuff needed for the next day is located on a table right by the front door and  is ready to grab and go. This includes keys, sunglasses, school items, work items, purse, and even a pile of clean socks sits on the table near the door.  Everyone knows this table is home base for all things!

2) School and work outfits are selected on Sunday and lined up in the closet for the week ahead.

3) Jackets are also hung on the base of my stair handrail, also near the front door. The routine for my son is to put socks/shoes on right when he comes downstairs while sitting on the bottom stair step and then put on the jacket on right after.

4) Lunch items (ones that don't need refrigeration) are parceled out into ziplock bags on Sunday and put into a basket on the counter. This makes for easy lunch packing the rest of the week. Capri suns are kept frozen so when it's lunch time, its kinda like a slushie, that's how my son likes it. You do have to remember to add this to the kid's lunch bag in the morning.

5) Breakfast is made the night before and only needs reheating. I usually heat up breakfast while my son is putting on his shoes and socks.

6) Baths/showers are taken at night,  keeping things simple and on schedule in the morning.

7) When we come home, all items go back on the table, shoes come off near the door, jacket is hung, and empty lunch bag is ready to be packed for the next day.

These are 7 ways that I avoid morning meltdowns!  Have one to share? Please leave a comment below.